The Horn & Saddleback via Fly Rod Crosby, Berry Picker’s, and Appalachian Trails (Saddleback Ski Area/Appalachian National Scenic Trail)

The Horn & Saddleback via Fly Rod Crosby, Berry Picker’s, and Appalachian Trails (Saddleback Ski Area/Appalachian National Scenic Trail)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop w/ Spurs

Distance: 13.65 miles

Elevation: 3,409 feet

My Time: 8 hours, 56 minutes (7 hours, 36 minutes moving)

Book Time: 8 hours, 31 minutes

Parking: Parking for 3-4 cars at Fly Rod Crosby trail, parking for hundreds of cars at Saddleback Mountain.
Hiking Challenges: Maine 4000 Footers, New England 67, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

Vacation Day 3! Sarah and I were up at 6:00am and out sometime around 6:30am for a beautifully scenic drive to our beloved Rangeley to hike our even more beloved Saddleback (and The Horn)! We stopped at Lakeside Park in downtown Rangeley becuase of how stupidly beautiful the morning was (and we made some plans to visit after our hike to soak up some bonus views (and our feet). It was a sunny morning in the mid 50s with some fog over the lake - it was pretty spectacular.

We did the familiar drive up to the Saddleback base area. I remembered reading to park in the ski area parking lots, but just to investigate we drove all the way to the trailhead, and found parking just after the dumpsters! I'm thinking they don't want hikers parking here in the winter, but summer appeared to be fair game! We got suited up, threw on some bug spray, and started our hike!

[7:48am - Saddleback Spur of Fly Rod Crosby Trail]

Our hike began on the Saddleback Spur of the Fly Rod Crosby Trail, explained at a kiosk a few minutes down the trail. We hiked through an absolutely stunning field of purple lupines (with a few pink ones for good measure) and then hiked through the "Morning Glory" ski run - a trail Gen and I followed on our first visit to Saddleback, not knowing there was a road crossing and a LONG skate section. After crossing the ski trail, we arrived at the kiosk for the Fly Rod Crosby Trail, written as "FLYROD CROSBY TRAIL."

[7:51am - Fly Rod Crosby Trail Kiosk]

A bit of information about the Fly Rod Crosby Trail was found on a brochure online:

“Welcome

The Saddleback Spur is a branch off the main Fly Rod Crosby Trail, leading to/from Saddleback Ski Resort. This 1.9-mile spur passes Midway and Rock Ponds, offering stunning views of the surrounding mountains. It also connects with the Appalachian Trail.

Who is Fly Rod Crosby?

Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, 1854-1946 was Maine’s first registered guide. She was a flyfisher extraordinaire who promoted the Maine woods as a tourist destination. Crosby grew up in Phillips, guided in Rangeley, and is buried in Strong. The FRCT is linked to the landscape of her life. The blue and white trail sign sports the image of a fishing fly.

Is this section of trail on public land?

No. Most, but not all of the Saddleback Spur trail, is on land that is privately owned. The landowners have granted permission for passage through their roland. Stay on the designated trail and practice array-in carry-out ethics.”

The initial plan was to just follow the Saddleback Spur to the main trail and then follow that to the Berry Picker's Trail, but the little map at the kiosk sparked some curiosity in us (mostly me). We continued along the trail corridor, which was now wet and grassy, very slightly uphill with a few bog bridges to keep things interesting. 

[8:02am - Saddleback Spur/Rock Pond]

Our first stop was to a viewpoint along Rock Pond, which featured three canoes!We could hear a symphony of bullfrogs over the rippling water. We also noticed a metal sign that read "In loving memory of Ernie the Big E, 1959 - 2024," maybe someone who used to fish here? We half-joked about taking the canoe out for a spin, but we reminded ourselves that we had a full day's hike ahead of us, so back to the trail we went!

[8:06am - Saddleback Spur]

We followed the Saddleback Spur past another viewpoint of Rock Pond. We saw an old blaze for the trail and admired the light green new growth on the trailside evergreens. Footing remained good, and we soon came to a split. The originally planned route had us going straight to stay on the Saddleback Spur, but if we turned left we could visit an Overlook and Midway Pond. Sarah wasn't convinced about the side quests, but once I said I wanted to and she was welcome to chill out or get ahead, she said "noooo I'll get FOMO I'll come." My plan worked!

[8:13am - Bobcat Cut]

This turn was called the Bobcat Cut, I guess a relatively newly cut trail, and it hiked like one! The spider webs were abundant on this trail, but it was also beautiful and lined with young ferns.

[8:16am - Overlook Trail]

A few minutes later we turned onto the Overlook Trail, which we truly knew nothing about. Again, Sarah wasn't overly convinced, but the fear of FOMO had her coming along with me! The trail meandered upward at reasonable grades with a variety of blazes (faded paint, new paint, and some small wooden signs) to a point where a sign pointed right to the "Rangeley Overlook." There was more trail to the left that seemed to descend from the mass we had just climbed, but there was no evidence of it on any maps, so we kept to the (current) plan.

The trail was lovely from this point on - it was just a lovely flat meander. We hiked over a small moose poop and then a BIG moose poop! We passed a log with "trametes cinnabarina," aka "pycnoporus cinnabarinus," aka "cinnabar polypore" (thank you, Seek!), which was a shelf-looking mushroom of a beautiful burnt-orange color. 

The forest was young up here and it was unclear how long ago it was blazed (and how often it was traveled), but I loved it! Sarah... it's not so clear how she felt!

[8:32am - Rangeley Overlook]

We soon arrived at the Rangeley Overlook, which was simply a nice view of the Rangeley Lake. We could see some nearby hills and a light fog over parts of the lake. The lower part of the view was obstructed by trees, but overall it was nice! Nothing to write home about. Sarah said she would not be back. I said "me neither, becuase when are we going to be hiking out here again."

Our return trip was nice and easy, and soon we were back at the Saddleback Spur!

[8:48am - Saddleback Spur]

[8:49am - Midway Pond Spur]

We were on the Saddleback Spur for less than a minute before turning again onto the Midway Pond Spur to... Midway Pond! The trail initially descended easily with rocky footing and then became dreadfully muddy once closer to the pond. Thankfully, the pond was absolutely stunning. Again, there were three canoes with life preserveres. We enjoyed the view (better than Rock Pond, in our opinions) and soon turned around to actually make some mileage on our hike. Also worth noting: we were in a TIGHT game of fart baseball!

[8:59am - Saddleback Spur]

Now officially back on the Saddleback Spur, we were hiking on some truly DELIGHTFUL trail. It followed Midway Pond for a bit and then made a scenic, mossy descent. The trail was decently wide, but we were still catching spider webs. This was a moment where we went "wow, what a shame that we need to climb a moountain still). 

[9:21am - Saddleback Spur/Stream Bed Trail]

We crossed a bridge and turned right - on the left was the Stream Bed Trail, which our original route followed. The trail was now following a very old, VERY eroded road. Thankfully the footing was decent, even with the wet ground and taller undergrowth. 

[9:32am - Fly Rod Crosby Trail]

We soon turned left again onto a large dirt road - this was the main Fly Rod Crosby Trail. A sign at the junction read:

"NOTICE

Fly Rod Crosby Trails

After a thoughtful review, the High Peaks Alliance has changed the Fly Rod Crosby Trail.

Open Hiking Trails: Sandy River Railroad Trail (Phillips), Reed's Mill Loop (Madrid), Saddleback Spur Trail (to Midway & Rock Ponds).

These sections will now receive improved maintenance and care.

All other sections of the original hiking trails are discontinued.

Please respect the closures and follow the open trails only.

Thank you for your understanding.

More information & maps: https://highpeaksalliance/projects/fly-rod-crosby-trail/"

Naturally, this piqued my interest. What trails were discontinued? Why? Maybe landowner stuff - a mystery!

Continuing on the main Fly Rod Crosby Trail, we were on a wide dirt road, and saw a little snake! This stretch of trail was pretty featureless. We were mostly shaded, at least for the first bit. The road was relatively dry, to our delight! We passed some signage for ITS 89 South and ITS 84 East with snowmobile, ATV, and hiking icons just before crossing a bridge, and then we began to rise pretty gently for a while. This trail must get heavy use in the winters and on weekends, because it's huge!

We eventually rose into more direct sunlight. It was an absolutely stunning day, but the we sure did feel the sun! We passed another snake sunning itself and at the height of land, we turned right to follow the AT briefly to Eddy Pond!

[9:54am - Appalachian Trail]

[9:55am - Eddy Pond]

The AT followed some slippery boards through mossy woods to Eddy Pond, which, per tradition, had three canoes! It was breezy here now and the pond was stunning with a hill in the background. One of the canoes was in-use by a fisherman - we saw his ATV parked on the side of the trail! The bullfrogs continued their silly song and we were most delighted at the absence of bugs - thank you, wind! We took a brief break here and just enjoyed the tranquility. 

[10:14am - Fly Rod Crosby Trail]

We could have followed the AT up and over Saddleback, but we opted to continue around the Fly Rod Crosby to make the hike as much of a loop as possible! We passed a memorial site for two members of the Holbrook Family on the left and caught very small tree views to Saddleback's ridge. 

[10:28am - Fly Rod Crosby Trail/Moose & Deer Pond]

We passed Moose & Deer Ponds on the right, which were nice but nothing compared to Eddy or Midway! Overall, it was a fantastic day for ponds! Along the road, the sun was starting to feel increasingly warm, but that was made up for when we started to catch views out to Abraham! It was really cool and a little geographically confusing to see Abraham from here, but we were thrilled!

Two side-by-side ATVs passed us kindly, but they seemed to pull over at a sharp corner of a trail at a nice view ahead. When we caught up, Sarah offered to take their photo for them (she's so nice). We chatted a bit about the Rangeley area, and the dad of the group really tried to convince us to get into snowmobiling! We exchanged a few laughs and eventually Sarah and I were on our way, with the side-by-sides passing us soon after with waves.

Later on we passed an American flag on trail with a sign that read "in honor of all veterans, in memory of Alfred Bachelder" and the man who was canoeing on Eddy Pond drove past us. Saddleback's ridge that the Berry Picker's Trail follows slowly came into view right as we were starting to feel all done with this stretch, and then lo behold we were at a bridge and the Berry Picker's Trail!

[11:22am - Berry Picker’s Trail]

A sign at the upper terminus of the Berry Picker’s Trail read:

“THE BERRY PICKER’S TRAIL

(OPENED 17 SEPTEMBER, 2016)

WHAT IS THIS TRAIL? THIS IS A SIDE TRAIL BETWEEN THE FLYROD CROSBY MULTI-USE TRAIL AND THE APPALACHIAN NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL THAT FOLLOWS, IN PART, A ROUTE USED BY LOCAL RESIDENTS FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS TO HARVEST MOUNTAIN BLUEBERRIES AND CRANBERRIES ON SADDLEBACK MT. THIS WAS ALSO THE ROUTE ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL IN 1933.

LOCATION OF THIS SIGN: THIS POINT MARKS THE JUNCTION WITH THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL. FROM HERE, IT IS 0.4 OF A MILE TO “THE ERRATIC” (A PROMINENT GLACIAL BOULDER ON OPEN LEDGE), 0.8 OF A MILE TO BOUNDARY LEDGE, AND 1.7 MILES TO THE FLYROD CROSBY TRAIL.

TRAIL MARKING: EXCEPT FOR OCCASIONAL DOUBLE BLAZES, WHICH INDICATE SHARP OR UNEXPECTED TURNS, THE TRAIL IS MARKED BY SINGLE, RECTANGULAR BLUE BLAZES AND ROCK CAIRNS.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: THE TRAIL DESCENDS STEADILY, BUT MODERATELY, FOR A TOTAL ELEVATION DROP OF 1,480 FEET BETWEEN HERE AND THE FLYROD CROSBY TRAIL. MUCH OF THE ROUTE FOLLOWS OPEN LEDGES WITH OUTSTANDING VIEWS.

WATER, STREAM CROSSINGS: YOU WILL FIND NO WATER ON THIS TRAIL UNTIL YOU REACH WINSHIP STREAM ABOUT 1.5 MILES FROM HERE.

LAND OWNERSHIP: THE TRAIL BEGINS ON A.T. CORRIDOR LAND OWNED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, THEN CROSSES LANDS OWNED BY THE MAINE APPALACHIAN TRAIL LAND TRUST, CROSSES BRIEFLY NEAR BOUNDARY LEDGE ON TO LAND OWNED IN COMMON AND UNDIVIDED BY LINKLETTER AND THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY , AND FINALLY CROSSES ORBETON CONSERVATION EASEMENT LANDS OWNED BY THE LINKLETTER TIMBERLANDS LLC.

HUNTING SEASON: DURING HUNTING SEASONS, ESPECIALLY DEER SEASON (USUALLY EARLY NOVEMBER TO EARLY DECEMBER), WE STRONGLY URGE A.T. USERS TO WEAR FLUORESCENT ORANGE.

PLEASE HELP US TO KEEP THIS TRAIL A PLACE THAT YOU WILL WANT OT RETURN TO.

GOOD HIKING!

MAINE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CLUB

BOX 283, AUGUSTA, MAINE 04332

www.matc.org”

The first stretch of the Berry Picker's Trail was quite lovely. We were in the shade and following a lovely, cascading brook. The trail is blazed in blue and we did find a few piles of moose poop!

Phase II of the hike initiated when we turned and began to steeply climb on relatively soft ground with a few scrambles and tons of moose poop dispersed around. 

Phase III was the longest phase, and by far the best. The rest of the climb from here would be on relatively open slabs, just like climbing up my beloved Mt. Monadnock! Even this open stretch was littered in moose poop, which was really cool to imagine! We caught a few views up to Saddleback's summit ridge as we came to Boundary Ledge.

[12:07pm - Berry Picker’s Trail/Boundary Ledge]

Boundary Ledge is simply a ledge with yellow paint marking a land boundary, but with wonderful views! We admired some small collections of blooming sheep laurel as we ascended the slabs, which were never too steep. We were absolutely floored by the views to Saddleback, especially as one of our favorite ski mountains. Once we were higher up, Abraham began to peek up over the other side, too!

The Horn was the next mountain to join the view party. Even though Sarah and I were roasting in the sun (our skin, that is, the temperature was wonderful), we were absolutely loving this climb! We saw some flowering mountain cranberry higher up, and I'm sure there would be blueberries in-season. 

[12:37pm - Berry Picker’s Trail/The Erratic]

At this point of the climb, we had pretty consistent views of Saddleback to the left and The Horn to the right with Abraham further over. I cannot stress how beautiful this hike was! We could even see some hikers on the ridges. A few clouds provided us a nice break from the sun as we arrived at The Erratic, which is simply a rock in the middle of a flat slab. Great views, though!

The next flower for our list was the bushel of white flowers that make up the American mountain ash, bog labrador tea, and of course the Canadian bunchberry. The trail eventually turned into the woods on a very soft, somewhat wet stretch of narrow trail that gave us a little peek-a-view over to Sugarloaf and Spaulding. The final bit of uphill brought us to the sign written out above, and then we were back on the Appalachian Trail!

[12:59pm - Appalachian Trail]

We turned right to hike on the Appalachian Trail northbound towards The Horn. My notes read: "immediately into the open and holy shit." We caught views right away towards both Saddleback and The Horn. It was sunny with a lovely breeze truly the whole way, with only a passing cloud to break it up. There were a reasonable number of people out, maybe we crossed paths with someone(s) every ten-ish minutes, but we pretty much had the trail to ourselves!

We hiked past some bog pools with beautiful cotton grass blowing in the wind. There was an occasional butterfly flying about. There were a few moments where we dipped back into the woods, which was usually accompanied by a scramble or slightly steeper climb. On one scramble I hurt my already-hurting wrist, which did not feel great! Sarah and I hiked together and apart, both of us just in a wonderful void. 

Some of the more open stretches were marked with scree walls, and one wooded section had an iron ladder to climb! Higher up, Saddleback looked absolutely ridiculous with the Berry Picker Trail's ridge in full view - including The Erratic! 

The climb to the top of The Horn felt somewhat never ending, but it was also so outrageously beautiful that neither of us needed it to ever end. Once we could see the summit sign, we noticed some of the Saddleback ski trails behind us (hello, Green Weaver!). 

[1:43pm - The Horn Summit]

We joyfully gave the summit sign a firm boop and found a perfect spot for our break. There were a few other hikers up top, but the summit area was pretty big so we had some nice privacy. The views were just amazing - 360 degrees. We could see our whole hike from yesterday - from Abraham to to Spaulding to Sugarloaf. Saddleback Junior looked adorable and slightly tempting, but not tempting enough for this trip. 

In the not-too-far distance we could see some showers heading toward Sugarloaf the Bigelows - thankfully none near us! The ski trails in the Green Weaver/The Pass area of Saddleback were in full view, and the White Mountains were mostly hidden behing a summer haze. 

We enjoyed some snacks, caffeine, and delightful silence. We ultimately decided to start moving again when we started to get chilly, and when there was a suspicious cloud on the horizon!

[2:19pm - Appalachian Trail]

It was more cloudy than sunny for our descent, which was kind of nice on the sunburnt skin! We looked back down toward The Erratic, and I used PeakFinder to learn that we could see Carter Dome to the left of Saddleback and Waumbek/Cabot on the right, which was cool! I managed to fall on a rock almost immediately after starting the descent, but we were moving well! The rain was starting to look like it was coming for us, and it wsa sure starting to look spooky!

[2:57pm - Appalachian Trail/Berry Picker’s Trail]

I will admit, I was moving QUICKLY up Saddleback due to the spooky clouds. Definitely a little faster than Sarah would have liked! I did take photo breaks to let her catch up, though! The Horn and Saddleback Junior were standing broud, and the long, talus-covered ridge of Abraham was looking mighty fine behind them. The trail up Saddleback was full of slabs and some fun scrambles with a few breaks in the woods!

It seemed as if more an dmore storms were starting to pop up, and then I heard a rumble, which had me fully spooked! I think I saw on TikTok that you can be struck by lightning 7(?) away from a storm (EDIT: I just Google'd it - it's actually up to 25 miles from the storm!). I didn't vocalise this, because that wouldn't have solved really anything, but I was definitely feeling a bit stressed!

After some quicker climbing, I could see the summit sign in the distance! I was STRESSED. Thankfully, the views were still spectacular! I was ahead of Sarah, so I ran further ahead to get the pictures I needed, but at this point, being the tallest thing in the area, I wanted to be DOWN. 

[3:25pm - Saddleback Mountain Summit]

Sarah caught up, but she also stopped leisurely for photos, and I stressed it was time to GO. She was not thrilled with my rushing, but I am also not going to explain to her mom that she got struck by lightning on my watch! I thought we were in the clear, but we still had a few more minutes of hiking on this high ridge before we dipped into the woods. Saddleback is basically a double-breasted peak - the first breast is the summit, and the second is the spur to the ski area (thank goodness).

[3:31pm - Spur to Saddleback Mountain Ski Area]

We started to follow the spur down and it was once the trees were taller than us when I told Sarah "I guess now is a good time to tell you that I'm absolutely terrified of lightining." She switched from being a little miffed at me to very understanding, which I appreciated! I will say, all in all, I held it together better than I thought I would! She said I could have gone ahead to get off the ridge, but I told her that simply wasn't an option because I would have panicked when she wasn't right behind me!

[3:36pm - Top of Saddleback Mountain Ski Area/America Ski Trail]

The spur trail was short and we were soon at the top of our beloved Kennebago Quad! I was REALLY hoping the patrol shack would be unlocked as a storm shelter... nope! There was a DENSE rain cloud coming right out way - I guess this is our new fate! It would have been so nice to wait out the storm in the safety of a mountain top shelter, but I guess that wasn't in the cards...

[3:43pm - America Ski Trail/Rain Gear On]

It seems the most common route down via ski trails is Tri Color to Green Weaver or Grey Ghost, but Sarah and I opted for our favorite trail on the mountain: America (not for the name, but for the views!). It was absolutely crazy seeing it this time of year, and almost surprising to see how tall the trees actually are! This route was listed as a hiking route on the Saddleback Hiking Map, but it clearly is less traveled/maintained as a hiking route.

When the trail turns, we put our rain gear on and my camera away, and not soon later it began to absolutely downpour. But that wasn't it! It also began to thunder overhead again. But that wasn't it! It also then began to hail?! It soon became VERY silly. I was still mighty stressed about thunder, but the precipitation and the sopping wet ground was enough sensory input to moderately distract me. 

The trail was absolutely soaked, which was ultimately fine. Once I was rightfully drenched I simply did not care anymore! It was even too wet to worry about ticks!

[4:01pm - Hudson Highway Ski Trail/Rain Gear Off]

Less than 20 minutes later, the storm was officially passed us, and it was a... beautiful sunny day? We turned onto the Hudson Highway ski trail and I took off the rain gear that I was now sweating through. Hudson Highway was initially a nice gravel road (thank goodness). We came to the junction that gave me a run for my money as a beginner skier, and then the trail became full of vegetation again. It looked like The Pass was more traveled/maintained, but it would have added mileage, so we opted just to suffer through the sopping wet undergrowth. 

Overall, it was fine. Wildly unpleasant, but totally fine! The sun was back to making my skin nice and crispy as we worked our way down. We liked the signs for the Woolly Bugger Glades and the Uphill Route (we were hoping the Uphill Route would be maintained as a summer hiking trail, guess not!). Further down, we passed what we believed to be a sopping wet gopher sunning itself on a rock (I didn't know there was a difference between a groundhog and gopher until I saw this animal with a groundhog-like face and a rat-like tail). 

Further down, we began to follow MANY moose prints, but sadly no moose. The trail was somehow even more wet in the flat stretch, and we had to watch carefully for our trail back to the car, as a few condo trails began to branch off to the left. 

[4:36pm - Morning Glory Ski Trail]

Thankfully, the return of the stunning lupines marked our turn! We turned left onto the Morning Glory ski trail, followed whatever drainage we could to not be sucked into the mud, and were soon back on the Saddleback Spur! 

[4:41pm - Saddleback Spur]

The hike out through the lupines was again, stunning, but my skin was DONE with the sun! After just a couple minutes we were thankfully back at the car!

[4:43pm - End of Hike]

I had officially won fart baseball in a close-knit 5-to-4 match. We threw on some dry clothes, drove by the base area just to see it (more amazing lupines and a few art pieces and mowed areas likely for weddings), and then went into town and got dinner at the Rangeley Inn, which was just short of phenominal! We drove back to the lake to soak our feet for a minute before driving up Quill Hill for one last batch of views. Our drive home was pretty easy and we stopped again at the Mountainside Grocers for some dessert. Once back at the condo, we ate our respective desserts and did some parallel play on our phones before passing out! Tomorrow I'm back to hiking solo.

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on the Fly Rod Crosby Saddleback Spur.

- At jct., turn right onto Bobcat Cut.

- At jct., turn right onto Overlook Trail.

- At overlook, turn around.

- At jct., turn right to complete Overlook Trail.

- At terminus, continue right toward Midway Pond.

- At Midway Pond, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Saddleback Spur.

- At terminus, turn left onto Fly Rod Crosby Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Berry Pickers Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Appalachian Trail.

- At The Horn summit, turn around.

- Summit Saddleback Mountain, then continue on the Appalachain Trail southbound.

- At jct., turn right onto Ski Area Spur.

- At terminus, turn left onto America.

- At terminus, turn left onto Hudson Highway.

- At jct., turn left onto Morning Glory.

- At jct., turn right onto Saddleback Spur.

- Return to car.

Map

Photo Album

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Day 23/Indy Day 20/Vacation Day 5)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026

Runs: 25

Distance: 25.35 miles

Elevation: 27,421 feet

Max Speed: 35.1 mph

Avg. Speed: 9.4 mph

Moving Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, 26 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 47 minutes, 28 seconds

Back to Saddleback! We basically had a carbon-copy routine as Sunday's voyage, and we were ready with Mom in tow! Gen and I drove my car, Alec went home in his and Sarah's car, and Mom, Sarah, and Andre were in Mom's car. The drive to Rangeley was completely painless (a rare treat!), we got settled in, we got our breakfast, and we were on snow just after lifts started spinning! Mom was running a few minutes behind, so she told us to go get a run in and she'd find us. It was going to be a cloudy day, but a warm day (low 30s!). 

One thing to note is that  my watch misbehaved, said I got 35 runs in, but also undershot my mileage and elevation for the day, so most of my data is from Google Earth estimates and a few runs that were accurately tracked. 

Daily Report

Tuesday, February 16, 2026.

Morning Report 6:56AM

We've got snowflakes coming down! Happy Second Day of February Vacation Week. Or maybe it's Day 3 if you count Sunday. However you count it, you can count on Saddleback to make it crazy-good, because we have yet another day of all lifts operating, all trails open, and a perfect weather forecast. And if you're the type that wants to lay down first tracks, the gates at every single lift we own and operate (there's six of 'em) open at 8:30 AM. Even the Molly Chunkamunk. Please note there was no particular reason to single out the Molly Chunkamunk. We just picked it cuz it's the funnest one to say.

The skiing has been tremendous, and we will be enjoying highs in the low 30s today. As an added bonus, we'll be dishing out snow showers. Just because we can. So get up here, and then, since it's February vacation, feel free to act like you're a kid again. You remember how to do that, right? Maybe we can help... let's think... maybe stick your tongue out and catch a snowfkae? Just make sure nobody's looking.

Please ski in control and respect posted signage when on the mountain. Hazards do exist in natural terrain. Ski with a buddy or two in the trees and look before you leap in the parks.

Tonight, Saddleback will be hosting Kid's Movie Night! Drop your kids off (who doesn't love doing that?) in the Snowsports Room downstairs in the lodge for a cozy movie night from 5:30-7:30pm. While they're doing that, treat yourself to a kids-free evening in the Pub! Kids can wear pajamas, bring a blanket or a stuffed animal, and enjoy a family-friendly movie with snacks provided. Cost is $20 per child.

The NEST and Sneaky Pete's open at 10am every day this week, and the Pub stays open til 8pm!

Enjoy!

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Green Weaver

[1.17 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 2: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.95 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 3: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 610 ft]

Run 4: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Silver Doctor

[1.48 mi; 5:09; 1,637 ft; 29.3 mph max; 17.3 mph avg]

Run 5: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.90 mi; 3:12; 1,188 ft; 31.5 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

The four of us rode up the Rangeley, all giddy with excitement for the day to come. The summit was socked in, so we kept to the Rangeley for our first few runs. We got to the top, decided to hit the full Green Weaver run, and heard "WAITTTT" - Mom ended up being only a few chairs behind us! We got our pole pictures, helmet potato pictures, and we were off! I'll maintain, Green Weaver is a fun trail! It's just a bummer that it gets so scraped off so quickly. 

Run #2 was up the Rangeley and down the Royal Coachman which was fast and FUN! Gen stuck to Grey Ghost, even though Coachman was barely steeper than Grey Ghost and she totally could have handled it. 

There were delightfully no crowds at all, so we skied right back on for our next run! Andre and I tragically rode up on Chair #70 with the other three behind us. We were getting ready to head to the Kennebago for our first America run of the day! Green Weaver was holding up nicely, and soon we were on the Kennebago!

Sarah, Andre, and Gen rode up on Chair #68, and Mom and I got Chair #69! It was a vacation miracle! The clouds were DENSE up top, which made America delightfully spooky. From America, we hit Hudson Highway and then the Silver Doctor (we originally planned on Blue Devil, but we remembered how scrapey Silver Doctor got on Sunday, so we wanted to hit that one first). 

We wrapped up our series of delightful groomers with the Grey Ghost. All of the blue runs on this mountain are just fun! I think Red Devil is my favorite, then Blue Devil, Royal Coachman, Silver Doctor, and then Grey Ghost, but all are so much fun!

Runs 6-9

Run 6: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - The Pass

[0.40 mi; 4:01; 597 ft; 19.4 mpjh max; 6.0 mph avg]

Run 7: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca Chute #2 - Casablanca Glades 1-4 - Nymph

[0.84 mi; 9:21; 991 ft; 19.3 mph max; 5.4 mph avg]

Run 8: Kennebago Quad - Tri-Color - Firefly - Dark Wizard Glades

[0.62 mi; 7:24; 984 ft; 19.9 mph max; 5.0 mph avg]

Run 9: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line

[1.42 mi; 5:13; 1,627 ft; 35.1 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

We had one more group ride on the Rangeley, and then Sarah, Mom, and I broke off to do some adventure runs. To mix things up, Run #6 was down Peachy's Peril to The Pass. A fun surprise was that Peachy's was no longer the soft-snow bump haven it was on Sunday, but instead it was full of giant, car-sized lumps of hard snow and ice! Made for a bit of a challenge, but we made it down unscathed (Mom and I each went down once). 

We planned to get our Tight Line run in for Run #7, but the headwall was fully socked in and there were MANY people standing around talking about this being their first time on Tight Line, which simply did not interest us. We opted to continue on towards Casablanca, unsure of which to hit. Instead of taking the side cut from Black Beauty, we adventured over to Casablanca Chute #2. The snow was hard with some stumps to dodge, but overall it wasn't too bad! Once we were in Casablanca proper, we had a hard time deciding where we wanted to go. We thought we'd follow the "2" signs, but there didn't appear to be any? A mystery! Sarah had a small boot crisis - they've been running tight since she got her new boots for this season, and her feet were numb. Somehow I then became the line leader and just kept traversing over to Casablanca #4, which was a bit silly, but I guess fun to technically ski all four! The upper stretch was still crusty but it soon filled in with wonderfully soft snow. By the bottom we were back to giggling with every turn! Partway down, Mom took a selfie and said "MATT GET IN!" so I squatted down to fit the frame and she said "you look like you're taking a poop in your purple poopy pants!" and continued to cackle the whole way down. I then managed to get myself into a deep pocket of powder in a flat spot, so I tired to waddle my way out and knocked snow off of a tree onto myself. Mom was making fun of me, and then hit a "massive tree" (a 6" branch) and spun out, too. We were a mess! The ride out on Nymph was great, and we teehee'd all the way back to the Kennebago.

Our next run was aimed at the Dark Wizard Glade (GREAT name). We checked out the top entrance, which looked skiable but unpleasant, so we turned right off of the lift, skied down Tri-Color just a bit, and then made a sharp right onto Firefly and skied over to the lower entrance. These woods were tight and steep and the snow was a DREAM. Only complaint was that they were busier than Casablanca, which I guess made sense considering how massive and hard to get to Casablanca is. The snow was just delightful in Dark Wizard, and of course we pretended to cast Harry Potter spells on each other! Mom and I each took a few silly falls into the soft snow. This one was definitely a favorite!

Run #9 was back to the Tight Line, which was equally as socked in but with significantly fewer people this time. It skied scrapier than Sunday, but still good! There were a few kids down on the side near Firefly, but I was going too fast to stop to check on them in time. Thankfully, Sarah and Mom stopped to check on them. I notice at the bottom there was a snowboarder just... walking around? I would later learn that the snowboarder was the kids' brother, and his snowboard popped off while strapping in at the headwall, flew down the run, and landed somewhere in the woods... Kid was toast. I'm just glad that nobody got hurt! We followed Lower Tight Line from there, which was an absolute dream. Mom and Sarah were going in for a bathroom break, and I was in the zone so I was going to get another run in in the meantime. I could have gone all the way down, but I didn't want to sit on the South Branch Quad...

Runs 10-12

Run 10: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Professor - Lower Professor - Lower Jane Craig

[0.98 mi; 6:11; 1,224 ft; 22.1 mph max; 9.5 mph avg]

Run 11: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Upper Jane Craig - The Pass

[0.47 mi; 567 ft]

Run 12: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Wooly Bugger Glades - Hudson Highway

[1.73 mi; 1,567 ft]

Run #10 was by myself and I followed Professor all the way down (then into Lower Jane Craig - a loose goal of mine for the day was to connect all these trails that are split up by The Pass). Upper professor was soft and bumpy and fun! Sarah warned me that were was a little cliff section that could be skipped in the woods on the side. I made it to the cliff, stared at it, and SENT IT. By send it, I mean carefully chose a line with a little bit of snow and turned the second I landed, swore, and "stomped" it! I giggled and took a photo for posterity. Lower Professor was fun, mellower, and surprisingly bumpy. Lower Lower Jane Craig had some smaller bumps and was just as fun. I love this mountain!

I reunited with Sarah and Mom back at the Rangeley and we followed Upper Jane Craig. Upper Jane Craig has a similar headwall to the "cliff" on Professor, but just holds snow better. Run #12 was up the Kennebago (BACK on Chair #69!) and down America to Hudson Highway. We initially thought we'd ski all of Hudson Highway, but then the Wolly Bugger Glades caught out eye. They were... an adventure! The upper stretch was flat and tight. Then it started to steepen with just a few lines to choose from. Then it would open up. Then it would hit a little cliff. Then it could get narrow again. Then it got flat again. Then it got steep again with just a few lines. Eventually the woods nicely opened up (still tight, but many lines to choose from)! Somewhere in the lower 2/3rds we found Sasquach, too! How fun! We were quite relieved to exit these woods. They weren't bad, they were just more than we all emotionally signed up for at the time. We were all ready for a redemption run, so we skied just over to the T-Bar.

Runs 13-14

Run 13: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Blue Devil 

[0.56 mi; 648 ft]

Run 14: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Parmanchene Belle (L) - Gnat - Hudson Highway

[0.87 mi; 870 ft]

I got an introverted T-Bar ride up with Sarah and Mom ahead of me - we got a nice run on Blue Devil! Mom was ready for some food, so from there she skied back to the lodge, but Sarah and I were still going strong, so we hopped back on the T-Bar!

From there, we hit the Parmanchene Belle and hit the left side of the split (since I did the right side on Sunday). It was fun! Medium sized bumps. It was steeper up top but then mellowed out and the snow was holding pretty nicely. It was also nice to hot be hitting this run super late in the day. We hit the connector trail "Gnat" on the way back to the Rangeley, which was just fun to hit something new.

Runs 15-17

Run 15: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 567 ft]

Run 16: Kennebago Quad - Tri-Color - Intimiador Glades - The Pass

[0.69 mi; 959 ft]

Run 17: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca O - Black Beauty - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet

[2.02 mi; 1,567 ft]

Sarah and I had a few more adventures in us, so Run #15 was back down Green Weaver to the Kennebago and then #16 brought us down Tri-Color to the Intimiador Glades, which were just wonderful! Similar to Dark Wizard, tight and steep up top and wonderfully manageably challenging down low. These are the glades where Mom found her "inner aloha" (she came up a few years ago and met these kids in their early 20s who were have the time of their lives after MANY beers. They skied the run together, and when they parted ways they shouted "find your inner aloha, Mary!") - Sarah and I found ours, too! Once we were out, we hopped back on The Pass to get back to the Kennebago.

Run #17 was our grand adventure du jour. We wanted to ski the upper portion of Black Beauty. Since Firefly didn't even legally get us to Frost Bite on Sunday, we figured we'd ski on Dazzler to the Casablanca entrance and cut over on skier's left. I skied the entrance to Casablanca much better this time around and the first few turns in Casablanca 1 were solid! The trees were definitely tighter on this side. We kept to skiers left, but weren't noticing many tracks cutting over to Black Beauty (we really only noticed one set higher up than we wanted). We continued down, hugging skier's left, eventually finding ourselves in a relatively untracked area that was tight and steep. I am not good at tight trees, and the deep, relatively untracked snow made it more challenging for me! Mostly becuase I usually make a couple turns and stop, but this snow was not forgiving to stopping. At one point I did manage to get myself wedged between two small trees and had my knee in a precarious position - Sarah had to pop me out of my binding so I could adjust - not too fun! We continued on and we could see Black Beauty about 30 feet away at a few spots, but it would be essentially a bushwhack through deep snow which neither of us wanted. EVENTUALLY we made our way back to Casablanca 1, found the "0" sign, and popped onto Black Beauty from the same spot we did on Sunday... it was a nice try! We decided to call the run we did "Casablanca 0." I later checked the Strava Global Heat Map and it looks like people do ski the line we skied, but NOT many!

We both were ready for a groomer after that adventure, so we followed Lower Green Weaver to Green Hornet, which were like a reward after that challenge!

Runs 18-19

Run 18: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 567 ft]

Run 19: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[2.05 mi; 1,567 ft]

After this run, Sarah said she was ready for some hot chocolate, so she headed inside and I was back on my own! I took the Rangeley to Green Weaver for Run #18 and #19 was a nice cruiser run down America (still in the clouds), Hudson Highway, and Red Devil (I made sure to hit the other side of the split than what I took on Sunday!).

Daily Report

Tuesday, February 16, 2026.

Afternoon Update: 2:19PM

Today's Soft turns and warm temps have resulted in smiles all around. Tuesday has been a blast up here. The corduroy is skiing exactly how we like it to be when the temperatures get above 30. The natural terrain remains challenigng, exciting, and rewarding. This afternoon we've got Rob Fowler busting out the tunes in The Pub from 3:00 to 6:00pm. We've also got Kid's Movie Night in the Snowsports room tonight at 5:30pm.

There's still time to grab a reservation for tomorrow's Taqueria Night at the NEST. Time slots are filling up so be sure to act fast if you want to join in on an unforgettable evening at 3,620 feet of elevation.

Friday's Feb Fest has a lineup full of top-notch activities from start to finish. Online registration is available for skiers and riders ages 14 and under who would like to lay down their best lineup in the 3rd Annual Gee Whiz Grom Slopestyle Open. Check-in starts at 8:00am, practice runs at 9:00am, and first runs kick off at 10:00am!

All fun, all week! Saddleback is the place to be.

Runs 20-22

Run 20: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - Lower Peachy's Peril

[1.13 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 21: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Jane Craig - Lower Jane Craig (R)

[1.01 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 22: Ragneley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.90 mi; 1,175 ft]

Continuing on my solo journey and my loose side quest to connect all of Peachy's, Professor, and Jane Craig, Run #20 brought me up the Rangeley and all the way down Peachy's Peril. The big bumps on my exhausted legs led to some less-than-glamorous skiing, but I made it down with only a couple tumbles! Lower Peachy's Peril was reasonably bumpy and super fun, even on my tired legs.

While the bumps were softer and smaller, Jane Craig felt a bit more challenging than Peachy's, mostly because of the drop at the end. I did NOT do a great job, and managed to fall right into The Pass. Thankfully I was fine and I only nudged someone who was standing on The Pass (I apologized, he was unbothered). Lower Jane was much more challenging than Lower Peachy's - with endless bumps. Would have been an absolute blast earlier in the day! This trail splits twice - I followed the right side both times. My legs were jell-o!

Once back on the Rangeley, I got the text that Sarah and Mom were ready to head back out, so I zoomed down Grey Ghost to meet them. I had to go slower than I wanted to because the trail conditions were super scrapey, but I was happy to be back with friends! I like these days where I get some time with friends and some solo time, too.

Runs 23-25

Run 23: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.38 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 24: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Tight Line - Garrison Glades - Hummer - Royal Tiger

[1.44 mi; 1,459 ft]

Run 25: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - T-Bar Line- Squirrel

[1.01 mi; 4:07; 1,198 ft; 25.1 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

Mom only wanted to do "two more skip the last," so we followed her lead going down Grey Ghost, Jitterbug, Hudson Highway, and then Red Devil, which was holding up nicely!

Sarah and I were both wrapping up for the day, but it was also almost 4:00pm, so we decided to just push until last chair and then skip the last. Run #24 was up the Rangeley, down Green Weaver and Lower Tight Line (a DELIGHT), and then we checked out the Garrison Glades! They were fun with 1-2 lines per section, but had a ton of trail crossings. I think out of the two beginner glades, I like Mrs. Duley more. I also wish they had more lines to choose from so beginners could practice making actual turns instead of following tracks, but it was still nice!

We talked about how to wrap up, and I mentioned to Sarah that I overheard a local saying that they allow skiing on the T-Bar line once lifts close at 3:50-3:55. We went back and forth, and then decided we might as well give it a shot, and worst case get another lap on one of the Devils. To make it fun, we wiggled down on Grey Ghost, Jitter Bug, Sneaky Pete, and The Pass. There were ~3 kids and ~2 adults waiting at the top of the T-Bar Line. We waited for a few minutes until the lift officially closed, the lifty at the top shack came out and said "you're good to go!," the kids skied down first, and then Sarah and I had a WONDERFUL run. We giggled the whole way back! It was SO NICE to ski on fresh corduroy at 4:00pm, especially after skiing like poop for the back half of the day! This might become a new tradition of ours!

We wrapped up in the lodge and visited the gift shop. Sarah, Mom, and Andre went to the grocery store for pasta and meatballs for dinner, and then we had a wonderful night of food and chit chats back at the AirBnb. Only one more day of vacation left!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Day 21/Indy Day 18/Vacation Day 3)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Sunday, February 17th, 2026

Runs: 21

Distance: 21.41 miles

Elevation: 23,264 feet

Max Speed: 36.6 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.4 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes, 14 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 42 minutes, 56 seconds

It's time!!! The grand return to Saddleback Mountain. This is the third year that Gen and I were visiting this wonderful mountain, and it's been fun to bring more friends every year! Each time we come we reflect on our first visit where we BARELY left the South Branch area. The first day we went we barely made up the Rangeley and down Hudson Highway, and the second day we DID make it to the Kennebago, but only made it down America (which was spectacular). Last year we definitely leveled up - I ended up skiing just about every blue on the mountain minus some bump runs, and I even did my first black/double black on the mountain with Tight Line! My big goal this year was woods, specifically Casablanca, and Sarah was super excited to take me over there! We had an early wake up (5:45am) and Gen, Sarah, Andre, and I piled into my car for a 6:15am departure! Our drive took a little over 1.5 hours due to ME-17 having a recent dusting of snow, which makes for some rough roads near the height of land all the way to the junction with ME-16 - I was STRESSED but we made it totally fine. The rest of the drive was great! We got to the lodge around 7:50am, soon got breakfast at 8:00am, and were all booted up and ready to go just after first chair at 8:30am!

Daily Report

Sunday February 15, 2026. 6:20 AM

Sunday Funday! Anyone up for some skiing and snowboarding?

It's an all-you-can-eat type of day up here at Saddleback; everything is good. 68 trails of trees, tricks, and incredibly inviting corduroy. 8:30am gets us going on all 6 of our lifts. Another inch of snow overnight and packed powder as far as the eye can see with an alarming amount of untouched powder still hanging around in the trees. The sun will be gracing in the mountain today adding more warmth to the mountain and bringing temperatures into the upper 20s by noontime

With this much snow it can be easy for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach. Always ski in contol and respect posted signage across the mountain. When venturing into the trees and other natural terrain, please be aware that natural hazards do exist. Always enter natural terrain with a buddy or two, as we like to say, "Threes in trees." not only is skiing with a crew the safest way to go about our natural terrain, it's also the best way to get photo evidence of those thigh-high stashes you'll be finding.

Plenty of events and activities on the docket for today and throughout the week. Brunch at The NEST today, DJ starts spinning the tunes as 12:00pm. Once you make your way into The Pub for the evening, our Apres Music Series will be underway from 3:00pm to 6:00pm, featuring the musical stylings of Barney Martin. A full lineup of this week's events is available online as well as registration to join in on Friday night's Torchlight Parade prior to the fireworks.

Stay safe and have a blast!

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.95 mi; 2:56; 1,319 ft 36.6 mph max; 19.4 mph avg]

Run 2: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.91 mi; 3:01; 1,273 ft; 34.7 mph max; 18.1 mph avg]

We piled onto the Rangeley with almost no wait and were off! I will say, it was nice to be on a hi-speed quad after being at Mt. Abram and Camden Snow Bowl the past couple of days! We could help but gawk at the corduroy underneath us, so Sarah and I decided to hit the Royal Coachman first thing. Gen and Andre opted for the blue that runs mostly parallel, Grey Ghost. It was NICE. It was cold, but NICE. I am eternally working on carving on steeper runs, but it was still NICE. We met back up at the Rangeley for out next run, which was a four-person lap down Grey Ghost (Sarah and I always giggle on this one because the mascot for the school we teach marching band at is the Grey Ghost) - I forgot how fun this pod of blue runs is! Definitely on the steeper side, which makes for some great turns before it gets scraped off!

Runs 3-4

Run 3: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.48 mi; 2:04; 633 ft; 26.5 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]

Run 4: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Red Devil - Hudson Highway

[1.77 mi; 7:05; 1,699 ft; 35.2 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

It was officially time for our first America run of vacation! Run #3 was down Green Weaver, which really is a great trail before the sharp left turn to the Kennebago gets scraped off. From the Kennebago, we took a few pictures at the top (NO CLOUDS!) and truly giggled the whole way down America! The cords were to die for and the views were just spectacular, especially over towards the Presidentials. From there, we followed the Hudson Highway headwall disaster area to the Red Devil before finishing out on Hudson Highway back to the Rangeley. We were truly in the best of moods and so happy to be back.

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Professor - Jane Craig - The Pass

[0.47 mi; 4:27; 643 ft; 18.8 mph max; 6.4 mph avg]

Run 6: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.88 mi; 6:53; 2,024 ft; 34.3 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

Run 7: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - Col. Bates - Thrombosis Glades (R) - Lower Peachy's Peril

[0.94 mi; 6:26; 1,273 ft; 23.7 mph max; 8.7 mph avg]

Sarah and I were getting ready for our adventure runs, but naturally we all wanted to keep riding the lift together. Run #5 brought us back up the Rangeley. Gen and Andre continued on Green Weaver to the Kennebago, while Sarah and I went down Professor to Jane Craig to get to the Pass before hitting the Kennebago. Professor had some big bumps, Jane was a bit more mellow. Jane did have an impressive headwall, though! I'd say I navigated them decently! 

Run #6 was up the Kennebago - it was time! We said "goodbye for now" to Gen and Andre, who went off on their own for a while, and Sarah and I hopped onto Dazzler to the infamous Tight Line. I forget how ridiculously steep the headwall is! It was also pretty wind-scoured, which was less than ideal, but also completely fine. We (I) too a deep breath and reminded myself that the first turn is the heardest mentally, and once that first turn is over the rest is literally fine, and I was correct! It definitely was a little scrapey (I also have not tuned  my skies in a while...), but I made it down pretty decently! I was ahead of Sarah, and I enjoyed looking behind and seeing just a cloud of white smoke from everyone skiing down. From there, we followed Lower Tight Line, which was a DREAM. Legally ungroomed, it skied super fun with just a few small bumps here and there. We didn't plan to go all the way to the tippy bottom (mostly because the South Branch Quad is dreadfully slow), but then we saw the untouched Lower Green Weaver and simply had to - we giggled the whole way down! Our run ended with Dusty Miller, and then we had a nice relaxing on the South Branch Quad, which is comically noted as being for "beginners, terminal intermediates, and tired folks."

We went back onto the Rangeley for Run #7! We were going to start dipping into some trees, but I wanted to start with some lower on the mountain to get my feet wet before going into Casablanca (joke was on me - this next run was much harder than the Casablanca glades). We bumped our way down Peachy's Peril, which had larger bumps than Professor and Jane Craig, and then turned onto Col. Bates before dipping into the Thrombosis Glades (we picked it for the fun-to-say name, mostly). The upper stretch of them were definitely the tightest and some of the steepest glades I had ever skied, but I handled them well (I think)! They opened up after crossing The Pass, and were super fun! We got spat out onto Lower Peachy's Peril, which was a mellower bump run (truly the best kind of run for me to practice on). I was feeling good!

Runs 8-11

Run 8: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - The Pass

[0.40 mi; 4:01; 597 ft; 19.4 mph max; 6.0 mph avg]

Run 9: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca #1 - Black Beauty

[0.90 mi; 9:22; 1,060 ft; 25.6 mph max; 5.7 mph avg]

Run 10: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca #4 - Nymph

[0.88 mi; 9:56; 1,040 ft; 22.4 mph max; 5.3 mph avg]

Run 11: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Firefly - Frostbite - Lower Green Weaver - Lower Peachy's Peril

[1.38 mi; 7:12; 1,680 ft; 25.8 mph max; 11.5 mph avg]

Now we were getting ready for the main adventure! We took a long ride up the South Branch Quad followed by a nice, fast one up the Rangeley. Lines were prominent at this point in the day, so we started riding the singles line, which moved quickly. In an attempt to avoid Green Weaver at it's worst, we followed Peachy's Peril to The Pass to get to the Kennebago. Bumps were big, but soft! I think I make my turns too tight on these larger bumps, which causes me to slide and slam into the troughs... Just a thought.

Run #9 was the big one for me - my innaugural trip into Casablanca! We skied down Dazzler to Tight Line, and then Sarah coached me for what's to come next - basically get speed on any down hills and then lots of side stepping for the uphills. There was a small conga line of people making their ways across, but I wouldn't call it busy. There was an older couple that was struggling on the side stepping that held us up, but Sarah and I were both relatively unbothered (the people behind us felt differently). After some more skiing up and down, we eventually made it to the signs for the Casablanca Glades! We followed the little entry side-cut off of Black Beauty, which brought us to the fabled winter wonderland I had heard so much about!

It was BEAUTIFUL in there and felt borderline other-worldly, especially on a bluebird day. It was steeper up top and the trees trended a little tight, but nothing was out of my comfort zone. I even linked a few turns! We took a ton of photos, continually gawking at how pretty it was. The snow got better and better the lower we got. The glades are roughly marked with numbered signs on trees (1, 3, and 4, but we never found a #2?). We followed the 1s basically the whole way down until we found a #0 sign, which we think marked the exit to Black Beauty. I felt really proud of myself for not just surviving, but also skiing medium decently! Black Beauty was a natural-snow bump run that didn't have many big bumps to contend with, which made it a FUN bouncy cruiser. We were hooting and hollering all the way down back to the Kennebago!

We went a little more adventerous for Run #10. We were simply curious what it was like out near Muleskinner, so we hiked all the way, with the goal being Casablanca #4. We learned that the entrance for our last run was just for the "Casablanca Glades," and that there were seperate entrances each for Casablanca "Chutes" 1-4. The ski/hike out was a tiring, but still beautiful. We eventually accidentally skied past Chute #4 and came to Muleskinner, where ~7 people were hanging out, likely catching their breaths. There wasn't a clear entrance to Casablanca 4 from here, but we asked the folks and they said there's plenty on the left side of Muleskinner, so we went for it!

Casablanca 4 is otherworldly looking - wide open and just WHITE. The upper stretch was a bit... the word I would use bony but not the usual bony. Lots of small treetops it seemed scattered between the larger trees. A bunch of stumps, too. Thankfully, no rocks! Just very hard snow. The skiing wasn't hard but the thinking was! Thankfully, the wide open views made up for it. We were initially under the impression that the glades got harder 1-4, but it turns out #4 was the easiest - no complaints from me! 

The snow was deep down low and we eventually exited onto Nymph, which was a fun cruiser with just a few bumps. We found ourselves thinking about how much fun Black Beauty was, so our next goal would be to find our way there, but higher up. The main entrance off of Dazzler was closed, but on the map it looked like we could take Tight Line to Firefly over to Frost Bite, which seemed to be identical to Black Beauty. Back to the Kennebago!

The Tight Line headwall was rougher than before, and we had to really hit the breaks to stop in time to hit Firefly. Firefly was naturally ungroomed and pretty narrow, but plenty easy to follow. We were soon on Warden's Worry, which was hard and crusty with exposed stumps. We could have descended from here, but we wanted Frost Bite! Firefly seemed to evaporate after Warden's Worry, though. Two kids got ahead of us and continued on, so we assumed we could follow? This was basically a single-track near-bushwhack traverse. Our skis were getting caught between trees and it was overall not a glamorous journey, but thankfully we were rewarded with... more stumps! When we came out of the remnants of Firefly (on the paper map the trail does go to Frost Bite, but on the interactive map online it appears to stop at Warden's Worry) we flew onto more hard, crunchy, stumpy, branchy, nonsense. At this point, I accepted fate and made a few turns down, ultimately landing in some spectacular natural snow. Sarah took the gentler approach. Eventually, we were both in the land of the goods and had a super fun run down. We continued past the Kennebago and went down Lower Green Weaver to Lower Peachy's Peril, which was a fun way to wrap up this adventure run. Afterwards, Sarah went in for a snack break and I started a bit of a solo adventure.

Runs 12-14

Run 12: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway

[1.52 mi; 5:45; 1,040 ft; 26.0 mph max; 15.9 mph avg]

Run 13: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Blue Devil 

[0.56 mi; 2:32; 682 ft; 22.6 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 14: Cupsuptic T-Bar - The Pass

[0.38 mi; 1:50; 279 ft; 19.8 mph max; 12.4 mph avg]

Something that was fun about this day was that I kept trading friends! Sarah went away, but I almost immediately ran into Gen! She was getting ready to wrap up her day, so I joined her! Run #12 was all the way up and down America and Hudson Highway. America was perfect as usual and I hadn't skied ALL of Hudson Highway since last year. I thought "wow, this is great!" until I got to the flats, which were actually uphill... Oh well! It was still a lovely cruiser. 

We stopped at the T-Bar, where she was thinking about calling two or three more to skip the last. We got a nice run down Blue Devil before hopping back on. She wanted to ski Lower Tight Line (or Lower Green Weaver, unclear which she meant...) for her final run, but I proposed we go to the tippy top and get a tippy bottom run in to put a bow on her day - she was in! Run #14 was up the T-Bar and over The Pass to the Kennebago (ALERT: some uphill side stepping/aggressive skating was required). 

Daily Report

Sunday February 15, 2026.

Afternoon Update: 1:01 PM

We're kicking the week off in style here at Saddleback. After a long spell of skiing in multiple layers, we have hit the sweet spot for all you February Vacationers. We've got MOUNTAIN (get it?) of family-fun activities every day all week long with a tasty mix of sunny days and snowy days. Take your pick, it's a WIN either way!

Runs 15-18

Run 15: Kennebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Tight Line - Little Inky Boy - Hummer

[2.46 mi; 11:02; 1,969 ft; 28.6 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 16: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Silver Doctor

[0.66 mi; 2:32; 955 ft; 27.2 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Run 17: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Parmachene Belle (R)

[0.49 mi; 5:16; 666 ft; 18.5 mph max; 6.9 mph avg]

Run 18: Cupsuptic T-Bar - The Pass - Golden Smelt - Lower Royal Coachman

[0.80 mi; 5:35; 896 ft; 23.1 mph max; 8.6 mph avg]

Gen's final run was an absolute delight! America, Sneaky Pete, The Pass all the way to Lower Tight Line, then Lower Inky Boy and Hummer to wrap things up. Truly my favorite part about this run was just skiing with Gen again! Her season basically ended this week last year due to some family troubles, so it was so nice to have her back. Our super slow ride up the South Branch Quad was also lovely. We roasted in the cold sun and just talked about how much we love Saddleback.

On the spirit of trading friends, I said "goodbye" to Gen (who went to get a waffle and sit outside listening to the DJ they had playing) and "hello" to Sarah and Andre! The three of us hopped onto the Rangeley, which had a much smaller line now, and checked out Silver Doctor, which was relatively unpleasant in terms of both people and snow conditions. We got back to the T-Bar where they rode together and I got some introvert time in behind them. They went down Blue Devil and I checked out Parmanchene Bell (the right side at the split) which was... fine. Narrow, bumpy, would be a hoot and holler on a pow day! It was mostly hard bumps on tired legs.

We all got back on the T-Bar for Run #18. Andre was calling his two more skip the last and Sarah had to pee. I was juicing for more! I told Sarah I'll get a quick lap of the Rangeley in while she uses the bathroom and then I'll meet her at the bottom so we can get a few more runs in together.

Runs 19-21

Run 19: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Green Weaver

[1.17 mi; 4:01; 1,253 ft; 25.8 mph max; 17.4 mph avg]

Run 20: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 1:50; 610 ft; 21.6 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

Run 21: Kennebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet

[2.07 mi; 8:07; 1,640 ft; 30.3 mph max; 15.3 mph avg]

My solo lap was mostly lovely! I took the Rangeley to Green Weaver, which was scrapey in the expected area, and then I continued onto Lower Green Weaver to connect the two dots. The Lower Green Weaver was still in EXCELLENT shape and just a delightful cruiser. When I got to the bottom I saw a text from Sarah that she got on the Rangeley (rude), so I got right back on, assuming I'd meet her at the top (which I texted to her). She was no where to be found! I waited for about five minutes for a text, phone call, or just an apperance, but nothing. I was feeling a bit let down/ghosted, but I decided to move on with my day and finish up my runs. I took Green Weaver over to the Kennebago and then from the top I followed America, Sneaky Pete, The Pass, Lower Green Weaver, and Green Hornet (first and last two of which were wonderful). I did get COLD on this last run, so I called it there. I definitely could have squeezed in one more, maybe even two off the Rangeley, but my legs were cooked and the groomers were rough.

I met up with everyone inside by the fireplace and told Sarah how HURT I was (she missed the part where we agreed to meet at the bottom of the Rangeley) and then we all went upstairs for dinner/apres at The Pub! The view of the mountain was exceptionally beautiful as it changed colors with the sunset. 

The drive home was remarkably easier than the drive there, and once we were all cozy we watched the classic "Hot Dog... The Movie"! It was Andre's first time watching it. I forget how spectacular it is every time!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Vacation Day 6)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Wednesday, February 19th, 2025

Runs: 21

Distance: 26.02 miles

Elevation: 27,234 feet

Max Speed: 37.3 mph

Avg. Speed: 15.0 mph

Moving Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 45 minutes, 42 seconds

Officially the last day of vacation! We had our earliest wake-up of the trip at 6:00am (due to the weather I didn't go on/force my friends to go on any sunrise hikes), and we were up and out shockingly quickly! The drive to Saddleback was mostly in good condition, but there was one stretch of impressive snow drift before the height-of-land. We somehow made it to the mountain around 7:45am, which gave us an EXCELLENT parking spot and plenty of time for our chores. We got breakfast and our Indy passes at 8:00am, booted and suited up, and were ready to ski right when lifts opened at 8:30am! It was cold with a few clouds in the skies, but it was going to be an amazing day (we also joked that it was almost 30 degrees warmer with a high of 14). I was also thrilled because this day of Saddleback was my 20th day skiing for the season!

Daily Report

Wednesday, February 19th, 7:07 AM

If you're here today, you're in for a good one. Our full lineup of lifts will be spinning this morning, and with forecasted high of 14 in the base area, mostly sunny skies, and clear visibility for long-range views of the lakes and beyond - it's going to be a banner day here at Saddleback!

100% of the mountain is open and available. All glades, groomed, and natural terrain is skiing beautifully, and with a dusting of new snow last night, those first morning turns are going to be something special. If you're thinking of venturing into the trees, please be sure to bring a friend, but after hitting 150" snowfall mark this season, our base in teh woods is a great place for exploring and finding new favorite spots! Today (and the rest of the week) will be one to remember!

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Rangeley Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.94 mi; 3:06; 1,352 ft; 37.3 mph max; 18.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.99 mi; 2:59; 1,332 ft; 32.5 mph max; 19.9 mph avg]

Run 3: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - The Pass - Lower Professor - Lower Jane Craig

[1.15 mi; 5:14; 1,299 ft; 26.3 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 4: Rangeley Quad - Royal Coachman - The Pass - Lower Jane Craig

[1.03 mi; 5:34; 1,322 ft; 28.7 mph max; 11.1 mph avg]

My only goals for the day were to 1) have fun, 2) not think about the drive, 3) hit at least one natural run, and 4) ski Royal Coachman only becuase we skipped it on Saturday. Goal #4 was going to be accomplished on Run #1! We took the Rangeley up and followed Royal Coachman down, which started as a black and then became a blue after The Pass, but it felt no steeper than any of the blues on looker's right of the Rangeley. We ZOOMED down, the snow was excellent, and soon we were right back on the quad!

Next up was Grey Ghost, because we remembered it was starting to get skied off at the end-of-day Saturday (also because it's segment on Strava has the ghost emoji). Skied great, and again, soon enough were back on the Rangeley.

Run #3 was planned to be Parmanchee Belle as our degisnated natural terrain run, but at the headwall there was an "experts only/thin cover sign," and when we peeked down we saw a gnarly looking run - next! We landed on Lower Professor and Lower Jane Craig, both of which were LOVELY - groomed with soft, fresh cords. 

We finally accomplished the goal of a natural trail with Lower Jane Craig from The Pass (not via Professor). We followed the rules of "GNAR" and pole whacked the "headwall," and got going! It wasn't bumpy, but had some "exciting" variable conditions. Sarah did an awesome job being Emma's substitute teacher for this run, and I was definitely feeling better about natural terrain than before (not great, though). The trail became groomed at the junction with Professor, and we zoomed on down from there!

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 1:40; 646 ft; 23.7 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]

Run 6: Kenebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.88 mi; 7:23; 2,126 ft; 31.9 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

Run 7: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.13 mi; 4:18; 1,263 ft; 28.8 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Back on the Rangeley, it was time to face Gen's nemesis again, Green Weaver (it was totally fine since it was morning). Unfortunately, Sarah wanted to hit Tight Line again. I, again, was absolutely terrified. I knew I wanted to at least hit it from Firefly, but went back and forth (again) about the headwall. I decided to not be a baby be brave. I was NOT shaking on Dazzler, unlike on Saturday, and instead of doing long traverses of the headwall, I just copied Sarah's turn pattern, and made it down completely fine. Because of the turn pattern, I was going faster than last time, so instead of trying to stop at Firefly I just sent it down. I did, in fact, cry again, but we exchanged a fist-bump and then decided to do a tippy-top to tippy-bottom (Gen went down America, so we'd find her eventually at the Rangeley). We followed Lower Tight Line to connect the dots, which was unfortunately in worse condition than last time, but we hit lovely untouched corduroy on Lower Green Hornet and Dusty Miller. This run was long, scary, but incredibly satisfying!

Run #7 followed the South Branch and Rangeley up, and then we went down Grey Ghost, Jitterbug, Hudson Highway, and Red Devil. The view was still great on Red Devil, and with the headwall and tree island, this one might be my favorite (I chose Blue Devil as my pick for Saturday, in contrast). 

Runs 8-9

Run 8: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.50 mi; 2:26; 646 ft; 23.6 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 9: Kenebago Quad - America - Blue Devil

[1.75 mi; 6:54; 1,745 ft; 30.0 mph max; 15.2 mph avg]

We picked Gen up back at the Rangeley and went back to her nemesis, which was already getting scraped up (honestly fine, just required some brain). The clouds had finally cleared from the summit, so it was time for our first America run of the day. The Kenebago was now playing Brazillian music, which was an absolute blast! The view from America was absolutely insane as always, and we went down Blue Devil for a fun, fast run. At this point, we were COLD, so it was time for a hot chocolate break. Somehow, the lodge was super busy at this point, possibly busier than Saturday, so we had to chill on a bench instead of a table. 

Runs 10-14

Run 10: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.42 mi; 1:54; 643 ft; 22.3 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 11: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.98 mi; 4:14; 1,053 ft; 22.0 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 12: Kenebago Quad - America - Silver Doctor

[1.67 mi; 6:19; 1,647 ft; 29.8 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 13: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[1.15 mi; 4:18; 1,296 ft; 24.5 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

Run 14: Rangeley Quad - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet - Hummer

[1.77 mi; 7:21; 1,611 ft; 27.8 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

The next chunk of runs were just Gen and I, as Linnea and Andrew had officially arrived, so the two of them plus Sarah went off to ski some the steeps and woods off the Kenebago. We planned to all take the Rangeley up together, but somehow Gen, Sarah, and I got about 342 chair ahead of Linnea and Andrew (we're good friends, though, so we waited for them at the top). We followed Grey Ghost to The Pass to get near the Kenebago together, and then the advance team went up the Kenebago over to Dazzler while Gen and I went down Tri-Color, which was horribly skied off at this point. With Tri-Color crossed off the list, we went back to the Kenebago to get a nice run down America and Silver Doctor (we forgot Sneaky Pete existed at this point, so unfortunately, we had to cross Grey Ghost on the pass and side-step up... whoops!). 

Mine and Gen's plan now was to ski the rest of the mid-mountain blues that we hadn't yet. Run #13 was back up the Rangeley to ski the full Green Weaver (upper sucked, lower was wonderful), followed by Run #14 down Green Hornet to the tippy-bottom.

Runs 15-17

Run 15: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - The Pass - Blue Devil

[1.19 mi; 4:32; 1,257 ft; 27.4 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 16: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.66 mi; 3:17; 627 ft; 20.6 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 17: Kenebago Quad - America - Red Devil - Royal Tiger - Hornberg - Smelt Streamer

[2.34 mi; 9:09; 2,024 ft; 28.2 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Gen and I were feeling good about our runs, so we were reflecting on our favorites from the day and looking to revist some of our favorites - she was flirting with her two more skip the last. Run #15 was the Blue Devil, which was starting to get a bit icy, but overall was still a blast. Afterwards, Gen decided she was on her "three more skip the last." We headed back up the Rangeley, got a run with Sneaky Pete back to the Kenebago for her last run. We had an awesome run down America, Red Devil, Royal Tiger, Hornberg (over a bridge and through the condos), and finally Smelt Streamer. To my dismay, Gen decided to BREAK THE RULES and keep skiing after! She had a goal of skiing 15 miles and a dream of skiing 20, and after that run she was at 18ish, so she decided to call another "three more skip the last" (I told her if she falls and gets hurt this is why!). Thankfully, we finally caught up with our friends again! We had been on opposite lift/run schedules, but we finally got to link up!

Runs 18-19

Run 18: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.71 mi; 3:08; 630 ft; 24.0 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 19: Kenebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[2.47 mi; 10:26; 2,034 ft; 28.9 mph max; 14.6 mph avg]

We met the advanced team back at the Kenebago after a nice run from the Rangeley to Kenebago featuring Sneaky Pete again, and we were up! From the Kenebago, we followed America as a full group, making sure to get our pole picture from the top! The view from the top is so beautiful - especially towards the lakes and Mt. Washington (not Old Speck like I thought!). We followed America back to Sneaky Pete all the way over to Lower Green Weaver. At the Rangeley, Gen was all set and the rest of us went down the Mrs. Duley Glades (minus Andrew, who hit the baby park). The glades were bouncier than last time, and I got air a few times! I was practicing not locking my knees when I got airborne. 

Runs 20-21

Run 20: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.47 mi; 1:49; 623 ft; 23.6 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Run 21: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Blue Devil - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[2.30 mi; 9:46; 2,031 ft; 31.7 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

It was time for us to call three more skip the last, sadly. I was starting to feel the driving stress - mostly I just wanted to get to I-95 before it was too dark outside. We went back up to the top of the Rangeley, advanced team followed Professor into some glades while I went down Green Weaver. Our final run was my favorite run of the trip - I think partly because of the sentimental aspect of a tippy-top to tippy-bottom with friends at the end of a super fun six days of skiing, and also becuase it hits basically every type of terrain. America was a gentle cruiser with an incredible blue, then we made it to Blue Devil that was fast and fun. We went back into Mrs. Duley for some natural/trees, and bottomed out at the South Branch Quad - it hit everything on such an amazing mountain! We were all delusional and tired at this point, and were satsified with our day! The line for the South Branch was a little slow, and a single rider refused to get with a pair, and I might have said "why wouldn't he go" out loud, but thankfully he didn't hear me... whoops!

Afterwards, Sarah and I, who accidentally forgot about lunch, INHALED grab-n-go quesidillas, and the three of us made our way outside and over to the car. The first bit of our drive was absolutely beautiful, with an insanely awesome view to what we believe was the backside of Sugarloaf. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner (accidentally the same Taco Bell Gen and I stopped at last year), and continued our drive home. Dropped Gen off first, and discovered her FROZEN driveway (exciting!) and then to Sarah's. I eventually made it home a little after 10:00pm. A late night, but so worth it for a day at Saddleback and a truly awesome trip! I feel like I'm a better skier after this trip with new confidence on groomers and an increased interest in the natural/bumpy side of things. Good news is that I have a day of rest, and then back to mountains!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Vacation Day 2)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Saturday, February 15th, 2025

Runs: 18

Distance: 20.74 miles

Elevation: 21,457 feet

Max Speed: 28.4 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.8 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes, 46 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 2 minutes, 15 seconds

Day two of vacation! Sarah and Alec landed somewhere in the 11:00pm hour last night, so we were delighted to see them at 6:15am when our alarms went off! The original plan for the trip was as follows: Sat - Mt. Abram; Sun - Saddleback; Mon - BMoM; Tues - Saddleback; Weds - BMom or Mt. Abram. This plan was quickly thrown out due to weather forecasts. I splurged and got the $30 Snowology subscription and it was highkey the best decision I had made, aside from learning to ski! Saturday was going to be the best day of weather, followed by a good amount of snow on Monday, insane winds on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday would be a toss-up. With this information, we pivoted our plans to going right to Saddleback! Alec stayed behind since he doesn't ski, and Gen, Sarah, and I were off around 6:45! The drive to Saddleback from Roxbury was as beautiful as we remembered, and only a little sketchy at times before and near the height-of-land. We started to get excited once we turned into Rangeley, and soon enough we were parked halfway down the first parking lot!

Daily Report

Saturday, February 15th, 7:00 AM

Ahh, you can breathe now. You're on vacation and you're at the mountain. There's 7-14 inches of snow lined up for tonight into Sunday night, and we just got out of a 10-inch storm the other day! Not a bad way to kickstart the week, eh? While on vacation mode, please remember to still ski with care for everyone's safety.

More moderate temps are here with us today, paired with cloudy skies. The upper mountain has been untouched since our recent snowstorm. You know what that means? The goods are in the woods! Go chase the powder! After your fresh snow hunts and groomer carves, stop by The Pub for live music performed by Barney Martin from 3pm - 6pm. Breathe in that mountain air.

Once we were parked, we headed into the lodge, which was delightfully quiet. We got grab-n-go breakfast, redeemed our Indy Passes (small line that moved quickly), and suited up for a beautiful day!

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 2:17; 640 ft; 23.6 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]

Run 2: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway

[2.42 mi; 11:01; 1,762 ft; 25.5 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 3: Rangeley Quad - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Silver Doctor

[0.70 mi; 3:30; 951 ft; 28.4 mph max; 12.0 mph avg]

Run 4: Little Inky Boy - Dusty Miller

[0.64 mi; 2:42; 663 ft; 28.3 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

We got right to work as the sun began to peek over the mountain. There were some whispy clouds high up that soon faded away to reveal a shocking bluebird day! First up was taking the Rangeley Quad up to the Green Weaver, which is the first of many new trails for Gen and I (and Sarah, as she'd never skied here before). It was nice and fun - generally mild at first with two steeper turns, with the steepest being down to the Kenebago Quad. We then hopped onto the Kenebago to introduce Sarah to America (and the dreadful Hudson Highway...). The view from up top was absolutely stunning. We could see what we thought was Old Speck, but turns out it was actually Mt. Washington and the Presidentials! The headwall at the end is fast and fun with a nice run-out - I remember this being an area where I started to get comfortable getting some speed last year, and it was super fun to revisit! We continued down onto Hudson Highway which was... rough. Low-tide and very chopped up by the groomers. I was kinda bummed because it is a fun, easy trail when there's nice snow! We flirted with hitting Morning Glory again now that we have poles and a fun little adventure, but we didn't want to take 15 minutes out of our day when it realistically could be our only Saddleback day. We skated across the flat section and were soon back at the Rangeley!

The quest to "ski the shit" out of the mountain continued by hopping back on the high-speed and scootching over to Silver Doctor. Sarah wanted to check out the Wolly Bugger Glades, so we'll find her again later. Silver Doctor was a fun, wide racing trail (they were setting up gates as we went down). I'm still working on my carving turns, so this was actually perfect for me. When Gen and I got back to the Rangeley, we remembered that woods take a lot longer than groomers, so we followed Little Inky Boy to Dusty Miller all the way to the bottom of the mountain, which was a great call because we hit a bunch of untouched corduroy! We took the slow South Branch Quad back up to find Sarah, and then we were back to business!

Also fun to point out, this was the real innaugural day with my new "Camp Snap" camera - a digital camera modeled after a disposable. We used it last night, too, but today was the big day! We tried to follow the rule "everyone gets one action shot" and just played around with it a bunch. I'll see how the photos came out when I get home on Wednesday!

Runs 5-9

Run 5: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.42 mi; 1:29; 636 ft; 22.2 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

Run 6: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color - Hudson Highway - Blue Devil

[1.57 mi; 7:35; 1,739 ft; 24.4 mph max; 12.4 mph avg]

Run 7: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.38 mi; 1:50; 633 ft; 19.2 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 8: Kenebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line

[0.57 mi; 3:05; 1,073 ft; 27.2 mph max; 11.0 mph avg]

Run 9: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Green Weaver

[1.31 mi; 6:15; 1,086 ft; 27.4 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Time to get serious for our next batch of runs! We scooped up Sarah and took the Rangeley back up to Green Weaver, which was slightly scraped off at this point. It was an exciting mash-up of scraped off trail and piles of deeper snow. We continued onto the Kenebago (which was not blasting EDM music like last year...) and followed Tri-Color Down to the Blue Devil. Tri-Color was beautiful - you could see the whole resort from the top, and it was fun to ski up top. It settles down at the junction with Firefly and drops out at the top of the Rangeley area. We meandered down Hudson Highway again to hit Blue Devil, which was narrower than Silver Doctor, but just as fun.

Back up the Rangeley, we hit Green Weaver again, which was rapidly deteriorating in condition, and we opted to hit the Kenebago Quad from the other side, so we took the first right at the headwall instead of the second. This is where things got interesting! Sarah was looking forward to exploring Casablanca, but wanted to hit Tight Line first. I felt confident that I could to Tight Line from Firefly, but I was TERRIFIED of the headwall. I was going back-and-forth the whole lift ride, but ultimately decided that 1) I know how to ski, 2) I know how to side slip if its too bad or too scary, and 3) Dazzler is flat and I could turn around and do a walk of shame if its too much. Gen went back down Tri-Color and I followed Sarah to the left across Dazzler to the headwall. I was SHAKING. We let everyone in front and behind us go first, and then I let Sarah go. Again, I know how to ski. The drop-in was by far the most terrifying part and this was easily the steepest thing I had done so far in my short career. I started by traversing basically the entire headwall followed by a tight turn and another traverse, slowly widening my turns. Sarah waited for me at Firefly, and from there it was just another fun, steep black run. I cruised down and back at the Kenebago fully began to cry. Sarah told me "you're literally fine you skied that well you didn't look a mess at all now lets get back on the lift" - important things! Our timing was good becuase Gen landed right when we were back, and up we went!

I requested an America run as a reward for doing the scary thing, so we went back up! Sarah went off to explore the glades as Gen and I ZOOMED down (not really we kept gawking at the view). We were done with Green Weaver, so we took Hudson Highway to Sneaky Pete to The Pass to get back over to the Kenebago - it was MUCH nicer (I also remember Sneaky Pete being terrifying last year and it was so easy this year - growth!). 

Runs 10-11

Run 10: Kenebago Quad - America - Hugson Highway - The Pass - Grey Ghost - Dusty Miller

[2.14 mi; 9:37; 2,024 ft; 25.1 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 11: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[1.31 mi; 6:27; 1,257 ft; 22.2 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

Gen and I decided we'd get our first tippy-top to tippy-bottom run in now. We went back up the Kenebago (we also noticed what looked like pee-stains on the snow near the top... intersting) and followed America to Hudson Highway to The Pass to Grey Ghost to Dusty Miller - super fun! Grey Ghost was wider than Silver Doctor (I think) and Blue Devil (definitely), but still super fun. Dusty Miller was easy and soft - just a delight. Clouds were starting to roll in the horizon, but the day was still stunning! We went back up the South Branch and Rangeley for Run #11 and wiggled our way over to the Lower Green Weaver, which also skied wonderfully (MUCH better than it's upper half!). We also took a different way to The Pass this time - via Grey Ghost - which became our new preferred route. 

Runs 12-14

Run 12: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet

[1.31 mi; 5:19; 1,237 ft; 25.2 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

Run 13: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.11 mi; 4:40; 1,240 ft; 24.3 mph max; 14.2 mph avg]

Run 14: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.76 mi; 7:52; 1,558 ft; 22.1 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

We picked up Sarah back at the Rangeley - she LOVED Casablanca - and headed back up! Gen and I were ticking away at groomed blues that we'd never done before, so next up was the Green Hornet! It skied just as well as lower Green Weaver. Next up was the Red Devil. We follwed Grey Ghost to Jitterbug - which was a nice cut-through IF there weren't others around, but there were frequently many others. We needed to catch some speed coming down the Hudson Highway headwall since there was a medium uphill to get to Red Devil, but once we were there it was great! A lovely view followed by a steeper headwall and then a great intermediate run featuring a tree island. 

The last groomed blue in the Kenebago area we still needed was the Lower Tight Line. We were brave and followed Green Weaver from the top of the Rangeley, which all-in-all was fine, just unpleasant to ski. Lower Tight Line was tight but super low-tide, so we had to dodge some exposed earth and rocks. Overall it was fine. Glad we did it, don't need to do it again! We then followed Lower Green Hornet and Dusty Miller to bring Sarah to the Tippy Bottom for the first time!

Runs 15-16

Run 15: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.64 mi; 3:30; 636 ft; 21.6 mph max; 10.9 mph avg]

Run 16: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Blue Devil

[1.60 mi; 8:04; 1,680 ft; 24.3 mph max; 11.9 mph avg]

At this point, Gen was on her "three more skip the last." We took the South Branch and Rangeley Quads up to Grey Ghost, The Pass, and Green Weaver to get to the Kenebago (Grey Ghost was getting soft now with a few icy patches). From the Kenebago, we hit America to Blue Devil again, which was a super fun and beautiful run! Gen went inside while Sarah and I got just a couple more in before calling it a day. At this point, Alec drove up to go for a hike near Rangeley and was going to meet us at The Pub in the lodge for dinner/late lunch!

Runs 17-18

Run 17: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.50 mi; 2:38; 617 ft; 17.6 mph max; 11.3 mph avg]

Run 18: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color- Grey Ghost - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[1.85 mi; 9:08; 1,995 ft; 25.3 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

Daily Report

Saturday, February 15, 2:39 PM

A stormsa brewin' and we are pumped! Forecasters call for 7-14 inches of snow incoming tonight through tomorrow night! 

Surprise! We were expecting clouds but were gifted with crispy views and poppy blue skies. Soft snow and calm air in a bluebird atmosphere are sure to sooth the soul. Today, the already skied or groomed snow rode nicer than the untouched, but every day the snow changes. The edge-able groomers were top notch, and chewed up glades were a delight to swift through.

We opted to now do our "three more skip the last." Rangeley up, Green Weaver to Kenebago (which somehow got even  more brutal), and then up the Kenebago for another tippy-top to tippy-bottom run! We followed the fully scraped-off Tri-Color down to Grey Ghost first. We got a photo with the Grey Ghost sign since the grey ghost is the mascot for the high school we teach marching band at. From there, we followed Grey Ghost all the way down (after The Pass the trail was lovely) to Royal Tiger, and then dipped into the Mrs. Duley Glades, which were super fun! A little tricky to control speed for me since it was mostly a single-track, but we had a blast. 

We rode the South Branch Quad back to the lodge as Alec and Gen went upstairs to get a table for dinner. We got our apres drinks and a lovely dinner (I DEMOLISHED a burger and poutine), and then worked our way back home! We stopped at the grocery store in Rangeley to pick up some snacks and dessert, and once home we continued to watch the Hoarders channel before winding down for bed. This was such a fun day, and also a super rewarding day. I did, in fact, ski the shit out of the mountain (or at least the trails that were within my skill set!). 

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)